Ruat Caelum, I think you are taking W4U’s words out of context. He wrote

And when we consider that these phenomena have been occurring and witnessed for thousands of years, is it any wonder that “the hand of god” can be seen in other such natural wonders. This is why the persistence of woo.

I took it to mean people make up explanations for phenomena they cannot explain, and science has only had a few centuries to rebut this type of magical thinking. He wasn’t saying he believes in the “hand of god.”

My take is people believe in magic sky daddies because they are uneducated and prefer easy answers. Science is hard work, and most people would rather take the easy way out than put in the time and concentration required to understand reality. That and people simply cannot reconcile our short, brutish lives with their desires to live in paradise forever with their loved ones.

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You cannot have a rational discussion with someone who holds irrational beliefs.

I see the bible (and the like) as I see science fiction.
Where good science fiction is usually set in a fantastic environment, it can be instructional in the areas of science and philosophy and the scientific principles employed may be based on current speculative science. Space/time warps, multiple universes, parallel dimensions, quantum entanglement are all speculative paradigms, but they are actively being investigated by science.
On the other “hand”, theism and deism is fantastic fiction, set in a familiar environment, but can be instructional in areas of philosophy, morality, and the subjective interpretations of personal experience, and by extension, theoretical science. Don’t dismiss the history and evolution of both, scientific and theistic fantasy too easily, there is much to learn from each.
Spiritually I am atheist, I am a believer in science, but I am an agnostic in the theoretical (fantastical, until proven) sciences and philosophies.